Tirreno-Adriatico 2018, Roglic wins stage 3!

Primoz Roglic (Lotto Nl-Jumbo) takes the victory in Tirreno-Adriatico 2018 stage 3! The Slovenian releases the bad luck occurred yesterday in Follonica and takes brillantly the steep uphill finish of the third stage. Lotto Nl-Jumbo representative attacked with just over two kilometers remaining and won solo on the finish line in Trevi. At first the group, made of 40 riders and headed by Team Sky, didn’t allow Roglic to open a gap but soon after the former Adria Mobil rider widened a significant advantage over the bunch that, in the end, proved to be enough to take the success. Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) finished in second whereas Strade Bianche winner Tiesj Benoot (Lotto-Soudal in third). Geraint Thomas (Team Sky), who finished in fourth, is the new leader of 2018 Tirreno-Adriatico.

It’s not uncommon for Tirreno-Adriatico organizers to include such a long course into the Italian stage race route since the Corsa dei due Mari has become the high road leading to the 293-kilometers-long Milano-SanRemo. The race, leading from Follonica to Trevi along 239 kilometers, has not been very exciting until the last 40 kilometers of racing where, unfortunately, several crashes have been key players. Five are the riders that formed today’s breakaway: green jersey holder Nicola Bagioli and Sho Hatsuyama (Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini), Jacopo Mosca (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia), Stepan Kurianov (Gazprom-Ruisvelo) and Dennis van Winden (Israel Cycling Academy).

Nicola Bagioli has won all of the KOM sprints whereas his teammate Hatsuyama and Mosca finished in second alternatively. The five men in the lead opened an advantage that had its peak at 9 minutes with over 200 kilometers remaining. Basically the riders have enjoyed a pleasant and sunny 15°C day thoughout the first four hours of racing with the exception of the one sin the break and Stefan Kung (BMC Racing(, who set the tempo thoughout a long stage of racing. After 120 kilometers since the start Soren Kragh Andersen (Sunweb) gave up and, due to the illness which has been affecting the Dane, abandons the 2018 Tirreno-Adriatico.

Along the last 45 kilometers to go Movistar joined BMC Racing in the head of the bunch, which started rapidly to jump across the gap. With a little less than 40 kilometers remaining the leader Patrick Bevin, Liam Bertazzo (Wilier-Selle Italia) and Oscar Gatto (Astana) fell on the ground and soon after the misfortune occurs also to Simon Geschke (Sunweb), Rafal Majka (Bora-hansgrohe) and Gianni Moscon (Sky). The Polish defenetively lost the wheels of the peloton and unfortunately the German rider broke his collarbone and was forced to stop and abandon the race. In the meantime Niki Terpstra (Quick Step Floors) and then Marcus Burghardt (Bora-hansgrohe) attempted to escape from the peloton but their try failed easily.

By the first time the group approached Trevi climb the breakaway was called off and the only rider who attacked was Wilier Triestina’s Edoardo Zardini. The first of the two ascents didn’t affect the race if not for reducing the leading group to 40 members. Steve Morabito (Groupama-FDJ) attempted to move up the bunch but the Swissman’s try was too weak to reveal successful. Team Sky and Bahrain-Merida headed the group to the bottom of the final climb, where Chris Froome seemed to feel unconfortable. With two kilometers to go, where the steepness was up to 16%, Roglic attacked: at first the Slovenian resisted in the lead to Villella’s chase and the to the devilish tempo settled by Michal Kwiatkowski and Gianni Moscon in the chasing group. In the end only Adam Yates succeeded in opening a gap over the bunch but the British has not been able to bridge the gap between himself and the stage winner the leader Primoz Roglic.

Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 3 Results

1 ROGLIC Primoz Team LottoNL-Jumbo    6:17:23
2 YATES Adam Mitchelton-Scott   0:03
3 BENOOT Tiesj Lotto Soudal    0:06
4 THOMAS Geraint Team Sky    0:07
5 URAN Rigoberto Team EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale    0:10
6 LANDA Mikel Movistar Team    ,,
7 MOSCON Gianni Team Sky    ,,
8 BARDET Romain AG2R La Mondiale    ,,
9 KELDERMAN Wilco Team Sunweb    ,,
10 JUNGELS Bob Quick-Step Floors    ,,

Tirreno-Adriatico 2018 Overall

1 THOMAS Geraint Team Sky    10:52:22
2 VAN AVERMAET Greg BMC Racing Team    ,,
3 FROOME Christopher Team Sky    0:03
4 CARUSO Damiano BMC Racing Team    0:08
5 KWIATKOWSKI Michal Team Sky    0:09
6 JUNGELS Bob Quick-Step Floors    ,,
7 KELDERMAN Wilco Team Sunweb    0:19
8 FORMOLO Davide BORA – hansgrohe    0:30
9 DUMOULIN Tom Team Sunweb    0:33
10 URAN Rigoberto Team EF Education First-Drapac    0:39